Shower head



J. FRASER SHOWERHEAD Sept. 7, 1948.

Filed June 2 5, 1946 u INVENTOR JHMES FknsER ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 7, 1948 UNITED STAT ES ATENT OFFICE fi R James Fraser, Wilmingtonf Del., asslgnorto Speakman Company, poration of Delaware Wilmington, Del., 8. cor-- Application June 25, 1946, Serial No. 679,171

- The present invention relates toshowerheads or spray nozzles of the type now in general use in-shower baths, in which the chambered showerhead comprises wall portions which may be given relative movements to regulate the discharge --'jetsor spray. That type of showerhead in its early form is shown in my prior Patent 1,830,694

- -of November 3, 1931, and is shown in a later form in'my prior Patent 1,849,517 of March 15, 19 32. In the first mentioned patent; a flat showerhead wall is formed with a plurality of discharge apertures and has a fiow obstructing member adjustable in each aperture to vary the spray. In theform shown in'Patent 1,849,517, t-hshowerhead wall has a single discharge aper-' ture, larger in diameter than the individual wall openings of the earlierpatent, and has a single flow obstructing member of correspondingly increased diameter.

The general object of the presentinvention is to provide a showerhead of the above men- 'tioned type with simple and effective'means for simultaneously adjusting the discharge obstructing member or members of the showerhead into a wide open position, and simul-- taneously throttling the admission of water to the shower, was to thereby produce a dribbling discharge from the showerhead. The use of the present invention with such a showerhead permits the user to adjust the valve or valves regulating the relative amounts of hot and cold water supplied to the shower, so as to maintain the bath temperature desired by the user, and to thoroughly wet the user if desired, and thereafter'to throttlethe water inlet of the shower I while keeping the showerhead discharge apertures relatively wide open and thus maintain a small dribbling discharge during an intermediate soaping. and washing stage of the bathing operation, without significantly modifying the temperature of water supplied to the showerhe'ad then or in a subsequent rinsing stage of said operation, in which the showerhead inlet is wide open and the flow obstructing means are ads justed to give a jet or spray discharge of relatlvely high velocity and large volume.

The water supply means for a showerhead of the above mentioned type customarily includes separate hot and cold water supply pipes or a temperature regulating valve or valves manually adjustable by the shower bath user to proportion the amounts of hotand cold water supplied to the showerhead as required 'for the discharge temperature desired by the user. The use of the present invention with such a showerhead 5 mans. (crass- 144),

permits the user to maintain the temperature regulating-valve adjustment giving the water discharge temperature desired by the user, while adjustingthe showerhead discharge obstructors and inlet throttling device to obtain desired volume. of the spray discharge through its full range or to obtain a dribbling discharge. The dribblingdischarge obtainable with my improved showerhead facilitates soaping and scrubbing portions of the bathing routine considered desirable by many bath users, and also facilitates 'thefiushing out of the showerhead from time to time to remove sand and the like which may accumulate in the showerhead in the regular use of the latter. i

The-variousfeatures of novelty which characterize my invention arepointed outwith particularity in the'claims annexed to and forming a partof "this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its adfvantages, and specificobjects attained by its use,'reference should be had to the accompany- ..ing drawing and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of .the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. ,1 isa perspective view of my improved I showerhead with conventional water supply connections thereto;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the showerhead shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the broken line 3-'-3 of v Fig. 2.

atureof. the water passing to the showerhead may be' regulated by appropriate adjustments of the two valves (1 and b, or of a 'mixing valve which may replace those valves. One well known mixing valve suitable for such use is shown in the prior Speakman Patent 1,121,879, of December 22, 1914. Usually, and as shown, the showerl' ead is so mountedandadjusted that its axis is inclined somewhat to the vertical, so that the dribbling discharge is through one or two only, of the discharge openings F, when there are six such-openings as in the form illustrated. The

showerhe'ad-E comprises a shell or casing body l enclosing-a {chamber or space. E' which receives water'at one end'fromthe pipe Bland has at'its 3 other end a plate or wall portion F formed with a plurality of discharge openings F. Extending through each discharge opening F is a corresponding flow obstructor or plunger G of generally cylindrical shape, except for axially ex- 5 tending grooves G at its periphery. Each groove is shown tapered in cross section so that the flow through the orifices" formed by the grooves is diminished and increased as the "flow obstructor or plunger G is moved into and out of the chamber E.

As shown, the inner end of each plunger G is I:

connected to and supported by a crosshead H comprising a central cylindricalportionl-ll'iwhich' surrounds and is movabledongi'tiidinal'lyofa 1'5 cylindrical guiding projection F As shown the latter is an integral projection-"from the inner--" side of the stationary wall member F. The crosshead H may be adjusted longitudinally of "the guidingprojection F by means of a manually adjustable element shown as dofnpiis'lrig "arock 'sha ft'f J. The latter'lias lts'axis radialtdthe axis of the'projectiond andj'ournalled'in the shell of the shower headjinterm'ediate' the -i'n- I let jand discharg'e ends of'the latter.- The rock shaft J is provided at its innerfend with a crank pin J having its'laxis parallel to, but laterally displaced-from the 'axis'of the rock shaft J. The crank pin J extends into a 'slotor 'guideway I in a stem extensionI r "the crosshe ad-HfThe 3 stem]: is coaxial with the'guide F At its outer end, the rock shaft J carries a handle'fi whi'ch may be moved through anangle'of approximately 180 between a minimum dischargeposition shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and a position shown infull'lines in Fig. 3 and in'which the plunger's'G offer minimum obstruction to the discharge of water through the opening'sF'.

In so far as above described, the showerhead shown in Figs. 1, 2 an'dB does not differsignificantly from the disclosure of my 'prior'Patent 1,830,694.

In the preferred form of thelpres'ent' invention shown in the drawings, the' main chamb'er's'pa'ce E in the showerhead communicates with an inlet space E through a port E 'lcircularin 'cross section and coaxial with'the "crcsshead"H and the guidingprojection F When the rockshaft handle J is turned into its dotted"line' position,

flow through the port E is reduced to 'a small amount by the upper end portion 1? of "the stem I which is then within the port E The'stem end I is only slightly smaller in diameter than the port 'E -but"is substantially 7 larger in "diameter than the 'neck'portion'I of the stem-which-connects the part I to the body oi'stm I. -In-'consequencewith the part I in the port E and with the'maximum extension of the plungersGout of the dischargeopenings-F"asshown in Fig.- 3,

the relative rates of flow into'and-"out of the showerhead chamber E are such marine latter contains little water. "This results i'n'a dribbling gravitational discharge from the" showerhead which ordinarily is confined to'an opening'or openings -F= in the lowermost portion of'the showerhead, when the latter is in an inclined. po-

sition, such as-that shown in Fig. 1. c

When themovable-showerheadparts are adjusted-from theirposition shown in Fig. 3-intd the-positionshown-in*Fig; 2, the-enlarged end or head'l of the "stem-I-is--moved;-outof the port E into the inlet space E The-passage of water from the gooseneck'D'through thechamber E; is then substantially; unobstructed-by the 1 3,'a spray of minimum fineness and volume is discharged; As the valve handle is moved away fror'ri the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thespray becoriies' coarser and increases in volumew The maximum volume of discharge is obtained with thehandle J in a position intermediate its full and dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. The precise position of the handle J which gives themaximum discharge,- depends upon-theform of the tapered grooves -G;in the plungers G and upon-theextentof handle movement-required-to cause thestem head I to throttle the'flow' through the port -E When such throttling occurs, the showerhead discharge volume diminishes,- and' when the stem end I is within the-port E -as shown-inFig. 3, water-can-flow out of the showerhead-through 0 the openings F -more rapidly than it canenter the showerhead chamber E through the port E In consequence, the discharge through the lowermost opening 'or openings'F' thenreduces to a trickle; The dribbling discharge then obtained 35 obviously; facilitates soapingand scrubbing operations by-the user,-and contributes to the gravitational movement through the lowermost outlet opening or--openings F, of sand-0r other small solid particles which have accumulated in the showerhead. -Whensuch particles reach the lower opening or openings F', they are swept through-the latter by the trickling discharge..- It is possible, of course, for "the user toadjust one or-both--o f the mixing valves a or b inany stage of the bathing operation when a change .-in the temperature of the water discharged by the showerhead seems desirable. However, the freedom which the use of the invention gives" the user to varythe dischargev as-described withoutiadjustment of the temperature regulating valves','is practically desirable in many cases.

While in accordance withfthe 'provisionshf the statutes, I have illustratedanddescribed the best forms-oi embodiment of my invention-now known to' me, it will 'be' apparent to'thbse' skillediin the art that changes may be mad'e in 'the forms'jof the apparatus disclosedwitho'ut departing from the 'spirit -of invention'as set forth inthe appended claims, and that in some'case's' certain features of'my'inventio"n may lo'e used to "advantage without" a corresponding" use" "of other nature's.

Having a now des'crib'ed" my" invention, what I claim as "new "and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a shower bathspray head, the-combinationwith-a chambered showerhead body formed with an inlet'port and with one or more outlet openings, ofdiow obstructing means comprising a discharge. obstructing member extending into each 'such openingand--adjustable thereinbetween-one-position in which it makes the unobstructed flow areathrough said;.opening relatively small and a second position inwhichit makes said arearelativelylarge'through intermediate positions in which said flow area is increased and decreased by said member as the latter is adjusted respectively toward and away from said second position, a supply obstructing member adjustable relative to said port to vary the unobstructed flow area through said port and actuating mechanism operatively connected to each of said members for adjusting each of the latter, said obstructing means, inlet port, outlet opening or openings and mechanism being so relatively arranged that when said discharge obstructing member is in said one position and in said intermediate positions said supply obstructing member is in a position in which it makes the unobstructed flow area through said port relatively large and when said discharge obstructing member moves into and out of said second position, it abruptly decreases and increases the unobstructed flow area through said port, respectively.

2. A shower bath spray head combination as specified in claim 1, in which said actuating mechanism comprises means forming a rigid mechanical connection between said obstructing members.

3. A shower bath spray head combination as specified in claim 1, in which said actuating mechanism comprises means forming a rigid mechanical connection between each discharge obstructing member and said supply obstructin member, and comprises a manually ,rotatable member journalled in said body and operatively connected to and adjusting each of said obstructing members when rotated.

4. A shower bath spray head comprising in combination a chambered showerhead body formed with an inlet port and with one or more outlet openings, said inlet port and each of said outlet openings having parallel axes, flow obstructing means comprising a discharge obstructing member extending into each said opening and adjustable axially thereof between one position in which it makes the unobstructed flow area through said opening relatively small and a second position in which it makes said area relatively large and operative to gradually increase and decrease said area as said member is adjusted respectively into and out of said second position, and a supply obstructing member rigidly connected to the discharge obstructing member for movement in the axial direction of said inlet port when said discharge obstructing member is moved between said first and second positions and arranged to make the unobstructed flow area through said inlet port relatively large when the discharge obstructing member is away from said second position, and to abruptly decrease and increase the last mentioned flow area when the discharge obstructing member is moved into and out of said second position, respectively.

JAMES FRASER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Bloch June 14, 1932 

